Cantata Collective Presents its 8th Season, 2024-25

Cantata Collective, San Francisco's only professional Ensemble dedicated solely to the performance of the Cantatas of J.S. Bach, is pleased to announce its Eighth Season of FREE Bach concerts—events that have become a mainstay of the Bay Area's musical landscape.

"A group of local early-music luminaries devoted to the composer's 200-plus compositions in the genre" (San Francisco Chronicle), Cantata Collective is supported by an enthusiastic Board of Directors, and endorsed by an illustrious Advisory Board. Together with its "congregation" it has created a magical community of listeners who share in this traversal of musical treasures. Cantata Collective presents these iconic works as the equivalent of a World Heritage Site, a collection of masterworks belonging to all people.

Cantata Collective’s performances in its acoustically perfect home, St. Mary Magdalen Church, in Berkeley, California are FREE to the public. The Eighth Season is made possible thanks to grants from Benevity, The Chicago Community Trust, the Richard and Mary L. Gray Foundation, the Jewish Community Endowment Fund, the Richard M. and Susan L. Kaplan Philanthropic Fund, the KAVAH Fund, the Waverley Fund and generous individual support.

The highlight of the 2023-24 season was the sold out performance of the Easter Oratorio and Magnificat, conducted by Nicholas McGegan, at Berkeley’s temple for Early Music, First Congregational Church. Coinciding with that performance AVIE released the group’s recording of the B Minor Mass which has already received international critical acclaim. The tradition of celebrating Bach’s birthday with performances of his major choral masterpieces continues on March 21, 2025 with the St. Matthew Passion.

The group continued its series of cantata recordings for Centaur Records with Volume Two featuring the brilliant countertenor, Reginald Mobley.

Early Music America wrote following the release: “To the excellent musicians of the Cantata Collective, MORE BACH, PLEASE!” The ensemble will oblige and details of these recordings and future projects can be found under Recording Initiative on this website.

2024-25 Season of FREE Bach Concerts

All FREE Cantata concerts are presented on Sundays at 5PM at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman Street in Berkeley